ShortCakeBakes

White Bread

Makes 2 loaves

This basic white bread recipe makes two amazingly delicious loaves of bread that are heaven warm from the oven.
I would recommend reading my bread making tips if you are a beginner before starting and also watching the tutorial at the bottom.

Ingredients

Instructions

Prepare two bread pans by spraying them with pam.
In a mixer, add together your water yeast, and sugar.
Let sit for 5 mins and then check to make sure it is bubbly.

Add in 3 cups of flour, your shortening, dry milk and salt.
Mix together until it is thoroughly combined.
Take the rest of your flour and slowly add it in a cup at a time, Let it mix in well each time and then check your dough for stickiness.
You will be able to tell whether or not your dough is done because it will start to form a mass and pull away from the bowl.
Touch the dough with your finger and see if it pulls up and sticks.
Continue to add your flour until it is no longer sticky but still soft.
Be very careful not to add too much flour.

Knead your dough together for 10 minutes in your mixer, or by hand.
Cover and let rise until double in bulk (about 1 hour).
You will be able to tell that your dough has risen enough if you poke it with your finger and it leaves a hole.

Punch down the dough.
Shape into two loaves by cutting the dough in half and then rolling it out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle the width of your bread pan.
(This will make the top of your bread smooth and even.)
Check to make sure that the width will fit into your pan and then roll up the rectangle and put it into the pan.
Let rise again until it doubles in bulk about 30 minutes to an hour.
Your dough will already be rising up out of the pan.

Bake in a 400 degree oven about 30 minutes.
Be sure to check on your bread about halfway through, and here and there, to see how it is browning.
If my loaf is the right color of brown on the inside but not finished baking then I cover it with foil until the baking time is up.

You will be able to tell if your bread is done by either tapping the bottom of it it and listening for a hollow sound,
or you can just take the guess work out of it and use a meat thermometer, when it’s done it should register at 190℉.
Pull it out and let it cool.
Enjoy warm with some butter and jam.

Bread making tips

  1. Be careful that when you add your water to the yeast it is not too hot because yeast can be killed.
  2. You do not need to add the entire amount of flour.
  3. The flour amount is a rough estimate with bread, you should add the flour slowly until your dough is no longer sticking to your finger when touched.
  4. Always knead the dough for 10 mins.
  5. Always use bread flour.
  6. Bread is fully baked when it reaches 190℉
  7. Just because it is brown doesn’t mean it’s done.
  8. Cover it with foil if the top is browning too quickly and then bake the remaining time.

Troubleshooting

If your bread is tough that means you added to much flour.
If your bread over rises and is too soft that means that you did not add enough flour.